


quite like home

by interstellarbeams



Category: Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (TV)
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Makeouts, POV Female Character, Reinstated movie nights, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:27:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23757631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interstellarbeams/pseuds/interstellarbeams
Summary: Max is moving on with a new girl and Zoey can’t pretend any longer — she’s in love with her best friend.
Relationships: Zoey Clarke & Max Richman, Zoey Clarke/Max Richman
Comments: 22
Kudos: 75





	quite like home

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta’d. Any mistakes or errors are mine.
> 
> Unfortunately there is no singing in this fic (unlike the show) but my soundtrack was: _Stupid Love_ by Lady Gaga, _365_ by Zedd feat. Katy Perry and _Call On Me_ by Starley 
> 
> Oh, just so you know, this fic ignores Floor 6. It’s deleted from the timeline. 😉
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated! 💕

“Mo, this is getting ridiculous, like crazy ridiculous. I can’t take it.” 

“Girl, you know whatcha’ gotta do to fix it.” He said as he glanced down at his nails, his lips pursed in a glossy pout that was entirely too perfect for so early in the morning.

“I know.” Zoey plopped her head down on her crossed arms and groaned, “Why is it so hard? I mean, he told me using a flash mob and I can’t even bring myself to tell him in a normal way. I feel like my tongue is tied every time he looks at me. Help me, Mo!”

“Uh uh, girl, that’s all you. I’m not gonna get involved in that mushy shit.” 

“What a great friend you are.” Zoey mumbled sarcastically, her head still buried in her arms. “Especially after I helped you with Eddie.” 

“I heard that. Anyways, Eddie was all me. The only help I had was when God blessed me with this body.”

“Mmmp.” Zoey sighed again, before leaning back against her chair and glancing at her SPRQ watch, she jumped up. “Shit! I’m gonna be late. See you later!”

Mo grunted an acknowledgment as he applied a nail file to his fingernails and Zoey snatched up her bag before dashing to the door.

Cursing her inattentiveness she rushed downtown, thankful that she wore her brogues instead of the small heel she had been debating about that morning, and managed to make it to the building in record time.

Rushing into the elevator she pressed one hand against the wall and bent over to catch her breath. Her throat burned from the briskness of the morning air and the rapid breaths she had taken as she ran the whole way to work and she swallowed a few times, waiting for the elevator to reach the fourth floor.

“Been practicing for your 5K this morning, Zo?” A bemused voice asked and she jerked her head up. She pressed one hand to her heart that sped up again at the sight of Max grinning at her, a dimple peeking out in one cheek.

“ _God_ , don’t do that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

“No.” Max chuckled, shifting his weight as the elevator doors opened with a ding. He stepped out onto their floor and it took her a moment to realize she should be following him, not standing there like a cognizant bump on a log. 

“Um, how are you?” She asked, feeling like an idiot as she belatedly trailed after him. 

“Good.” He answered, giving her an odd look as he draped his jacket over his desk chair and dropped his backpack to the floor. 

“I mean, everything was okay last night. Did you enjoy your date?”

“Yeah, I had fun. We talked for a long time, but mostly about trivial things. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” Zoey ducked down to login to her computer, hoping he didn’t see the disappointment crossing her face. Not that she wanted him to have a horrible night or anything. She just wished he was having a good time with her instead.

“I mean, it was okay. I liked her but it was a blind date. They’re always a little bit uncomfortable and you can’t drown your awkwardness in alcohol cause you don’t want the other person to think you’re a prospect for AA. It’s just strained, ya know?” 

“Mhmm.” Zoey mumbled, gritting her teeth and praying that he wouldn’t say anymore.

“How was your night?” He asked, turning his chair so he could see her better from an angle. She immediately smoothed her annoyed glare and shot him a small, friendly smile.

“Oh, you know, the usual. I watched some shows and did some online shopping. Nothing exciting.”

“Tell that to your bold polka dot blouse.” Max teased, his brown eyes brightening as he gave her outfit a once over. “At least you went with the tan shoes.” 

“The dude that dresses like a third grader doesn’t get to judge my fashion choices, okay?” She said as she stepped to his desk and leaned her hip against it.

“Hey, Mo helped me with my new look! I’ll tell him you're judging his handiwork if you don’t lay off.”

Zoey poked her tongue out at him and immediately regretted it when his gaze darkened and she quickly turned away from him, cursing the way her heart rate picked up speed and the butterflies in her stomach erupted in a dance break.

“Okay, guys! Let’s get started. This new project isn’t gonna complete itself!” She yelled out over the congregated coding crew, shooting Tobin a confused look as he shot rubber bands into the trash can and guzzled orange juice through a curly straw. 

_Please let this day go by quickly._

————

“Zoey, wait up!” Max’s voice traveled across the open space of the office and stopped Zoey in her tracks despite the sudden urge she felt that told her to run and hide instead.

“Yeah? What is it?” She asked, brusquely. _Stupid, now he’s really going to think something’s wrong with you. Chill out Zoey!_

He stopped short, and gave her a confused look. “I thought we always walked out together.” 

Zoey’s heart broke at the confusion and hurt in his voice but if she was going to have any sanity left she either had to tell him how she felt about him or suffer the consequences of keeping it to herself. She was leaning towards taking it to her grave but Max didn’t deserve that, she just wished she could stop being such a chicken and tell him. 

“Oh, sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.” She fibbed as she fiddled with her purse strap while they waited for the elevator.

“It’s okay.” He smiled over at her, softly and she bit her lip. “I actually wanted to ask you to come to the market with me. I’m planning a dinner for Mackenzie, the girl I went out with last night… we decided that it would be more laid back if we did something over at my place for the second date.”

“Oh _really_? That’s nice of you.” Zoey replied, even though she wanted to scream out a dramatic _no_ , but she kept a straight face. 

“So are you going to come? I mean, I trust you. You know what girls like to eat.”

“Uh, the same food as everyone else.” She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hold in a laugh at the look on his face. 

“You know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah. I getcha. Okay, I guess I can help you out since you are my best friend.”

“Thanks Zo.”

“No problem.” Zoey replied, her stomach dropping from a combination of disappointment and anger at herself for leaving him hanging for so long, wondering how she felt. _No wonder he’s trying to move on._

It wasn’t completely her fault, not really, her feelings for him were confusing and as difficult to untangle as a choking vine in an otherwise healthy garden. But helping him plan a date was like excruciating torture for a woman who realized she was in love with him and wanted to be the only one who got to date him. 

————

The swish of the automatic doors closing was the only sound in the deserted grocery store. The 80s tune that drifted softly from the speaker system seemed loud in the quiet, enhanced by the squeak of Max’s wet sneakers as they strolled down the first aisle.

“Definitely don’t do bread. Girls love it but if you serve it they’ll either see it as a sign that you’re trying to fatten them up, or think that you’re trying to bribe them with carbs so that you can get to second base.”

“Really? Are you sure? I mean, I’ve seen you eat three cheese danishes at your desk in an hour, like every other day.”

Zoey shot him a ‘don’t judge me’ look and continued pushing the cart along the perimeter of the small market.

“Yeah, well, I’m not trying to impress myself. Plus it’s SPRQ’s problem for having a pastry bar on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s.” She laughed lightly, enjoying the brightness of his smile as he glanced over at her.

Tightening her hands on the handle of the cart she dropped her gaze, the warmth flowing over her clearly the fault of the supermarket’s defunct AC unit and not an after effect of Max’s smile on her nervous system.

“It’s strangely quiet in here.” Max finally offered after a few minutes of silence.

“Yeah, I don’t know. Back in college I worked as a cashier at a grocery store and Tuesday’s were always slow.” 

“Zoey Clarke was a check out girl? Wow. I’m filing that away for later.” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and smirked over at her. She suddenly felt antsy, like she might come out of her skin if he continued to look at her in that way. 

“Stop! You’re being disgusting.” She wrinkled her nose at him and pushed the cart around a display of Hostess snack cakes, ignoring the images that his comment brought to the surface in her over-imaginative brain.

Max laughed, holding onto his side where she tried to land a punch but he ducked out of the way and jogged over to the rows of produce. 

“Okay, okay. Sorry. Now, help me pick out some toppings for a salad. I’ll keep my _disgusting_ comments to myself. I promise.”

“You better.” 

After the cart was littered with enough leafy greens and veggies to keep a gerbil happy for a month, they moved onto the meat department and perused the plastic packaged cuts of meats. Zoey scrunched her nose when Max lifted a pack of pork chops for her approval.

“No, pork chops have too much of a single-mom-with-teenage-kids vibe. I think steak is probably the best choice. She isn’t a vegan, is she?”

“Uh... _no_?” 

Zoey scoffed, “You’re telling me you decided to cook for someone and didn’t even ask them what their food restrictions might be. How thoughtful of you.”

Max sighed, leaning against the edge of the cart dramatically, almost causing her to crash into an end cap, while giving her big puppy dog eyes.

Zoey struggled not to melt. “I’m sure, it’ll be fine. Come on, a second date calls for a bottle of wine, or two.”

“Do you even know what wine to buy? I’ve never seen a bottle of wine at your apartment and that bottle of champagne I bought you when you were hired as manager is still sitting in your fridge, unopened.”

“I don’t have a corkscrew, okay.” Zoey blew a strand of hair out of her face as she bent, hands on her knees to peruse the multiple bottles of wine lined up on the shelf. 

Pulling out her phone she asked Siri about what type of wine went with red meat then grabbed the second cheapest bottle — she knew Max had a lot of student loans and couldn’t afford the top shelf stuff. 

“Okay!” Max rubbed his hands together excitedly. “I think we’re good to go. Let’s check out before the lights start to flicker creepily and the doors lock all on their own.”

Zoey cackled, surprising herself as she hopped onto the front of the shopping cart and Max ran, pushing the cart faster and faster while she hung on, a happy grin splitting her lips. Even if he was dating someone else, Max would always be her best friend and nothing was going to change that, _nothing_. 

————

Zoey sighed as she rolled over for what felt like the fiftieth time that night, the oblivion of deep sleep alluding her. The sound of the ice maker in the fridge broke the silence and she sat up, leaning back against the headboard, her sheets pooling around her waist.

Clicking the bedside lamp on she stared at her bare white walls and wondered why she hadn’t added anything permanent to the decor in her bedroom. Sure, since she didn’t own the building she wasn’t allowed to paint or spruce up the walls in any way but the bareness accentuated the temporary aspect of the apartment.

At twenty seven, Zoey was starting to feel stuck. Stuck in her job, admittedly she enjoyed it but even with her management position she felt a sense of impermanence. Stuck waiting for her father to pass, an excruciating pain that she tried to ignore hour by hour, dreading the phone call that was bound to come. Stuck in the same routine with Max — walking to work together most mornings, stopping at their new favorite coffee shop, leaving work together every evening and then walking away from each other as they headed to their separate places. 

She had started to feel lonely lately, watching him walk down the sidewalk, one arm swinging while the other held onto his backpack strap. She wanted to be the one to grab that free hand and walk down the street with him, laughing like they always did, enjoying each other’s company and maybe they would even stop under the shade of an arch of bougainvillea that she had seen once and kiss each other. Breathing each other in and smiling into each other’s eyes. 

The trip to the grocery store together had given her a glimpse of that life that she suddenly wanted with her whole being, but she didn’t know how to tell him that she didn’t want to go to her apartment alone, a place that didn’t feel quite like home without him there. 

She missed him and not just because of their postponed movie nights. She missed the way he always stuffed his mouth full of popcorn and then choked when he started laughing during their favorite comedy and she had to pound him on the back to restore his breath. She missed the way he always removed his shoes when he walked into her place and the way her shoes looked so tiny next to his size eleven sneakers. She missed his unsolicited advice on the choices in her fridge — _Oat milk, really, Zoey? What do you have against lactose?_ — and her cabinet full of granola and fiber heavy breakfast cereals. She just missed him. 

She opened her phone and went to the photos app. Clicking on the ‘Mad Max’ album she scrolled through all the random photos of her best friend — pics that he had taken sneakily while she was in the bathroom at work and the selfies they had taken together, smiles stretching their lips, but now, she saw the softness in his eyes as he looked at her in the candid photos that Mo had somehow managed to sneak into her personal file. 

_He really does love me_ , she thought, moisture pooling in her eyes and a feeling similar to heartburn seemed to fill her chest. 

Shutting down the phone, she set it down on her bedside and plugged it in before she turned off the bedside lamp. Pulling the covers up over her shoulders, she laid down and tried to stop the thoughts that kept creeping to what he was doing, with who and where. Mackenzie sounded like a nice girl but Zoey wouldn’t be happy with any of Max’s girlfriend choices until she was the one who was the possessor of the title.

 _Time to be bold, Zoey Clarke_ , she told herself as she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep, her mind made up.

————

After a restless night of tossing and turning, the next day dragged by despite Zoey's liberal consumption of coffee from the coffee bar and the time spent running around to make sure everyone was on the right path for the new project. 

Sitting down at her desk for a few moments, her thoughts kept returning to Max and Mackenzie. She dreaded the thought of his appearance at the office on Wednesday and the sound of a heart song about the night he just had with a girl that wasn’t her. She had gotten spoiled hearing his thoughts about her through song and now that they had ceased she craved the sound of his inner voice singing to her. 

She avoided him on her lunch break by barricading herself in Joan’s office for an impromptu “working” lunch as she filled her boss in on the guys’ progress on their new project. She only experienced a faint twinge of guilt and she wondered whether she should be concerned that she was burying so many of her emotions lately.

At the end of the day she walked out with him like their normal routine and found herself spouting a spirited ‘good luck’ even though she felt her spirits slipping as she watched him walk off with a pep in his step and she turned to go uptown.

Her already low spirits plummeted further after an afternoon spent with her father who was a shade of his former self. He hadn’t had the energy to use his buzzer or the computer to tell them what he wanted and Zoey heard the sound of his time on this Earth ticking down, like sand in an hourglass. 

Then her mother had broken down in sobs after she dropped and shattered one of their juice glasses. Zoey had been concerned, her mother usually didn’t act so dramatic over a simple accident, but then she realized that the “simple accident” had broken open the floodgates and all her mother’s fear, pain and anger from the last few months had come to a head, pouring out of her like a breached dam.

She had been exhausted after her day at work and the stress and pain of that afternoon with her parents. Relaxing at home seemed like the perfect idea, even if she couldn’t relax enough to sleep. But then her thoughts took over and she drained herself even further, worrying about all the things she couldn’t handle including telling Max the truth.

She flipped on the tv, hoping to distract herself with some true crime shows when there was a knock at the door. 

She muttered an ugly word under her breath as she stood up from the couch and walked a few feet to the door. 

“Max, _hey_. What are you doing here?” Her flagging spirits suddenly seemed to perk up at the sight of him standing in her doorway.

“I, uh, I cut my date short. Well, actually, she got a call from her ex-boyfriend. Something about her dog having to go to the vet for emergency surgery. I don’t know. She was crying and blubbering as she left. Her ex picked her up and she threw herself at him and clung to him like a koala bear on an eucalyptus tree. I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Oh,” Zoey tried to ignore the soaring of her heart when she should be feeling sorry for him. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hate that you went through so much trouble to make tonight special and then for it to end so abruptly.” 

“It’s okay. I’ll live.” They stood in the doorway awkwardly, Zoey feeling exposed in her holey pj bottoms and thin t-shirt while he stood there wearing a forest green button down and dress shoes.

“Here, I uh… brought you this corkscrew. I thought, maybe we could open that bottle of champagne.”

“Okay, sure.” Zoey smiled softly, taking the small plastic wrapped package from his hand. The brush of her fingertips across the back of his hand sent a spark of desire shooting up her arm and she almost gasped as he moved into her space. Then he stepped around her and walked towards the kitchen and she let out a harsh breath, whether from relief or disappointment she wasn’t sure as she turned to shut the door.

She followed him to the kitchen and reached into the cabinet next to the sink for two glasses. She rubbed the rims on the hem of her shirt to remove the greasy lipstick stains that stubbornly clung to the glass even after she soaked them in hot sudsy water. 

She went to turn around but she was suddenly blocked into the corner as Max stepped up behind her to set the bottle on the counter. The warmth his body gave off was distracting and she cursed the fact that she was wearing such flimsy clothing for she felt almost naked and that didn’t help the instant rush of hormones through her bloodstream.

She cleared her throat, clutching the glasses with fingers that ached from the strength of her grip as she waited for him to move away. 

“Zoey,” He finally asked, “what did you do with the corkscrew?”

“Oh, I uh, set it over there.” She motioned with her hand, praying that he couldn’t hear the harsh pounding of her heart beating in her breast. 

“ _Thank God_ ,” she muttered under her breath as he moved towards the island, allowing her a moment to breath and a chance to recover.

“So, uh… what are we celebrating?” 

“Huh? Oh, I don’t know. Tuesday nights?” He teased, though his lips barely lifted on a smile as he bent his attention to opening the bottle of champagne. 

The loud pop of the cork escaping the bottle made her jump and she laughed, the tension of the last few minutes broken as she moved closer and held out the glasses for him to fill. Ignoring the puddle of golden liquid that would more than likely dry a sticky patch on the linoleum tiles that she would have to scrub tomorrow, she took her first sip, the bubbles fizzing in her nose and making her cough.

“You okay?” Max asked, his eyebrows drawn down in a frown of concern.

“‘Course, it’s just the bubbles.” She smiled over at him, relief flooding through her when his face transformed into a smile that matched hers.

“You better be more careful. Bubbles can be dangerous.” He teased as he took the glass that she offered him, his fingers warm as they glanced off of hers.

Attempting to hide her reaction in her glass she took another gulp and choked.

“Zoey!” Max hurriedly set his glass down on the island with a thunk and thumped her on the back as she continued to choke and her eyes watered. “There you go. Breathe. Better?”

She nodded, emphatically, eyes streaming from the force of her coughing and tried to move away from his overwhelming presence. She knew she would do something crazy, like blurt out how much she loved him, unless she could escape. 

“I’m gonna— _gotothebathroom_.” And she fled the small kitchen, Max looking after her in confusion.

————

Zoey tried giving herself a pep talk — the voice in her head sounding just like Mo — but she couldn’t stop thinking about the warmth of Max’s body as it neared hers. Yeah, it had been embarrassing to choke on her champagne in front of him but he probably didn’t care. He probably expected the same reaction from a girl who only had juice glasses in her cabinet and had to ask Siri about wine pairings. 

_Come on, this is Max, we’re talking about. The man threatened a random guy in the street in order to give her a scooter to ride to the hospital to see her hurt father and joined her in a crazy choreographed mini concert in SPRQ’s conference room because he didn't want her to be embarrassed by herself. He won’t care about your holey pajamas or your lack of social graces._

Convincing herself that it was okay to leave her temporary refuge, she unlocked the bathroom door and padded out to the living room where she could see Max sitting on the couch.

“You okay?” He asked as she rounded the couch and sat down. 

“Yeah.” _No, I’m not, because you probably think I’m an idiot for saying we should stay friends and now I’m stupid in love with you._

“I hope Mackenzie didn’t hurt you.” She offered, after a few moments of quiet.

“What?” He turned towards her and she forced herself to catch his eye despite the nervous fluttering of her stomach. “No, _no_. I’m okay really. I just realized that I would rather be here with you.”

Zoey turned away, her heart rate picking up speed. She was afraid that he would see the truth in her eyes. But then he spoke.

“I'm sorry. I know I shouldn’t have brought it up but it’s the truth.”

“No, it’s okay. I—“ Zoey’s heart felt like it rested in her mouth and if she opened it that it would fall right out onto the rug but she needed to tell him how she felt. She couldn’t continue to keep quiet and hope that everything would go back to normal because their relationship would never be the same again. “I should be the one apologizing.”

“What? Why?”

“Because… you were only being truthful. I can’t fault you for that, especially when I’ve been lying to myself and to... you.” Zoey swallowed hard and suddenly wished she had something harder than champagne at hand. 

“What do you mean?”

She saw the hope rekindling in his eyes and it was the impetus for her to tell him how she felt. If only she could get her tongue to work. 

She hopped up suddenly and paced across the room, the wood floor beneath her bare feet creaking as she made a turn and came back towards the couch. 

“Zoey.” Max watched her and she moved away quickly when it seemed like he was going to reach out for her. But she couldn’t evade him for long, feeling like a gazelle stalked by a lion, he got up and followed her. She managed to hold in a gasp when she turned around and he was right behind her.

“Just say it, Zoey.” 

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because.”

“‘Because’ isn’t a reason, Zoey.”

 _Just say it!_ She yelled at herself, sure that Max would see the vehemence of her personal pep talk showing in her eyes and think she should be the newest inductee of Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital. 

“Because… I love you.” She mumbled and looked down, afraid she would see disbelief or condemnation in his gaze. 

She jumped when she felt the press of his hands on her upper arms and jerked her head up to look into his eyes. The strength of his feelings shocked her as he leaned over her, his brown eyes darker than she had ever seen them but the familiar comfort she found in his presence, the trust she had in him, wouldn’t let her pull away.

“Why didn’t you tell me? Instead of being with you, I’ve been going out on meaningless dates with a girl who is still in love with her ex!” 

“I’m sorry, okay!? It just hit me like a Mack truck one day and then I was afraid to tell you because I didn’t want you to think I was flaky, but I must have loved you for awhile now and I didn’t even realize it.” Zoey felt tears well up in her eyes, afraid that it really was too late for her to salvage their relationship. She _did_ love him and he was still her best friend, how could she stand to lose a relationship that was as precious to her as breathing? 

Max blew out a dramatic breath but his grip on her arms didn’t relax and the continued closeness of his body flooded her with heat. 

She struggled with the feelings that were coursing through her. She didn’t want to throw herself at him and ruin what was left of their friendship but she didn’t know if their current relationship could withstand any more turbulence with the revelation of her love for him.

“Max?” She finally asked, when it seemed like they would be stuck in this limbo between friendship and something more until they were intertwined like the rusted out car she had seen once with a redwood tree growing around it. 

“Yeah?” 

“Aren’t you going to say anything else?”

“I… I don’t know what else to say.”

Zoey bit her lip, staring at his chin as he bent his head over hers. She allowed herself to look at his lips, something she had caught herself doing often but from a distance as she got lost in a daydream, imagining how his lips would feel against hers. 

“Don’t people usually say it back?” She teased, hoping to bring him out of his inactivity.

His eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at her and she knew she hadn’t gotten through to him. The words themselves weren’t enough. She had to show him. 

Lifting up onto her tiptoes she pressed her lips to his cheek, the warmth of his skin sending a tingle of sensation right though her. Pulling back slightly, she caught his eye.

“I miss you. The way you make me laugh at the most inane coding jokes, the way you frown and bite your lip whenever you’re figuring up your tip charge every time we eat out together and the way that you treat my apartment like it’s your own and leave your stuff laying around, dirty dishes and all.”

She ignored the shocked look on his face and leaned back in, pulling him into her, approaching him like a skittish animal as she hugged him closer.

She inhaled the scent of his cologne and the warmth that pooled in her stomach at the feel of him pressed tight against her. Zoey sighed in relief as his arms came around her and he clung tighter. She pressed her nose against his neck and after a few minutes pressed a soft kiss there, surprised at her own boldness as much as the sharp inhalation of his breath.

“Zoey.” He murmured, softly, like a prayer and then she felt the press of his lips against hers, barely there at first and then the pressure increased as they allowed themselves to enjoy the newness of the experience of their lips and hearts meeting for the first time.

Her lungs burned for air and she pulled back for a breath but then she was being pushed backwards, Max’s arms barricading her against the wall as their kisses deepened. Zoey’s heart pounded in her ears, the blood coursing through her like lava, igniting her veins.

The press of his hands to the back of her thighs, lifting her, gave her no choice but to wrap her legs around his waist. A moan escaped her and her breath rasped in her throat harshly. The sound of the slamming of a door across the hall echoed in her head and she pulled back, the heavy lidded want in Max’s brown eyes sending a warning shooting through her. _God she wanted him but she didn’t want to jump over a cliff with him, when carefully repelling down was a much better choice._

“Too fast?” He rasped out the question as he slowly dropped her feet to the ground. 

“Maybe a teensy bit too fast.” She replied, gasping on a harsh breath.

“Why don’t we watch a movie instead?” She offered, as she straightened her shirt and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Her lips tingled after the pressure of his left and her hormones were on a rampage, but she could wait to be with him. 

She hoped that she hadn’t waited too long to tell him how she felt, that they had all the time in the world to explore this new relationship. Her father’s impending death brought the immutable courses of life to the forefront of her mind but she knew that whatever time she had with Max would be enough, because he knew how she felt now and nobody could deny that love, not even her.

“Yeah, yeah, okay.” Max breathed out as he moved toward the couch.

They bickered for a moment on which film was better and worth a rewatch — _Pacific Rim_ or _Godzilla: King of the Monsters_ — but settled down as they returned to the comforting familiarity of their routine as the movie started. Zoey cuddled up against Max’s side and let out a contented sigh as he wrapped an arm around her and placed a barely there kiss on the top of her head.

The movie continued to play but she barely paid attention to it. Max’s closeness was like a safe refuge and after the day that she had and a poor night of sleep, her eyes drooped with sleepiness. Pressing her head to his chest, she wrapped an arm around his waist and allowed the steady beat of his heart to sing her to sleep.


End file.
